Closure of two of three local access lanes to the George Washington Bridge last month caused massive congestion and political controversy over the motives behind the closures.Star-Ledger file photo

NEW YORK — The head of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said today the bi-state agency has launched an internal review of last month’s abrupt closure of local access lanes on the George Washington Bridge.

At the same time, a key New Jersey lawmaker plans to draft a resolution giving a state Senate panel the power to subpoena Port Authority records and testimony on the traffic-snarling incident.

"I can tell you that an internal review is under way," Patrick Foye, the Port Authority’s executive director, told reporters after today’s regular monthly meeting of the agency’s board in Manhattan. Foye would not say when the review might be completed or whether the results would be made public.

The meeting was attended by state Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Bergen) who said her resolution, which she plans to introduce Thursday, would grant the Senate State Government Committee subpoena power to investigate the incident, which shut down two of the three local access lanes leading to the bridge from Fort Lee.

The closures, during the week of Sept. 9, clogged the already congested streets of Fort Lee for several days, creating a traffic nightmare for commuters.

Weinberg’s resolution would have to be approved by the committee, then the full Senate.

"They have a lot to answer for here," Weinberg said of the Port Authority.

Weinberg and other lawmakers and local officials say the traffic congestion was compounded by the fact Fort Lee municipal and police officials were not informed of the closures ahead of time, a common practice.

In a scathing email directing bridge managers to lift the lane closures, Foye said they jeopardized public safety, violated normal Port Authority procedures, and may have been illegal.

In the email, dated Sept. 13 and copied to Deputy Executive Director Bill Baroni and Chairman David Samson Foye also said the lane closures had jeopardized the Port Authority’s "credibility."

Foye was appointed to the agency by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo; Baroni and Samson were appointed by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. The two governors share control of the Port Authority

Last month, the Port Authority issued a brief statement which said the lane closures were related to a "traffic safety study," but officials have declined to elaborate on the nature of the study or say why normal procedures were not followed.

Now, more than a month later, Weinberg is losing patience.
"I’m glad they’re taking very small steps," she said of the internal review. "But they’re taking much too long."

The sudden, unexplained nature of the lane closures prompted speculation among some Democrats that they were retribution for Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich’s failure to endorse Christie’s re-election bid.

The Christie campaign has dismissed those suspicions as ridiculous.

Weinberg said she also dismissed that theory at first. But, she said, she has grown increasingly suspicious due to the Port Authority’s failure to explain the closures.
"Why else the silence?" she said. "There’s no rational reason."